BBC News
It was an unprecedented, extensive, and 18 -month attack attack.
On June 1, more than 100 Ukrainian drones struck an air base inside Russia, targeting long -range bombers that could be nuclear weapons.
The size of the operation, called the Spider Web, was almost clear, and the explosion was reported to be north of the Arctic area over 8,000 km in Ukraine, up to Murmansk over the Arctic Circle throughout Russia.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that this attack occurred in five Russians, Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur, but the plane was damaged only in Murmansk and IRKUTSK, and the attack was repulsed in other regions.
In the photo released immediately after the attack, VASYL MALIUK, the head of Ukrainian security service (SBU), can see the satellite map of the airfield where the base of the location of Russia can be clearly identified.
Operational
Malik said that the drone is hidden under a separate roof that is smuggled into Russia inside the tree cabin mounted on the back of the truck.
The truck then flocked to the location near the airbase by drivers who did not know the cargo. Then I fired a drone and set it as a target.
Video circulating online shows drones on one of the relevant vehicles. A truck driver interviewed by RIA NOVOSTI, a Russian outlet, said he and other drivers said they would defeat the drones flying from the truck with rocks.
“They were behind the truck and we threw a stone to throw a stone.”
According to a non -inspection report from the Russian Telegram Channel Baza (famous for being connected with security services.
Some of them said they received additional instructions for the location to park the truck by phone. When they did so, they fainted after seeing drones flying from them.
In a victory post on Sunday night, VolodyMyr Zelensky, who directly supervised the operation, said 117 drones were used for a bold attack that required “1 year, 6 months, 9 days”.
He also said that one of the subjects is next to one of the FSB Russian security services.
Zelensky said that people who helped promote the operation were “withdrawn from the territory of Russia.” But Russia said that it has detained people on this attack.
In the current deleted telegram posts, the local authorities of the UST-KUT city in the IRKUTSK region are looking for a 37-year-old Ukrainian from a drone attack on Belaya Military Airfield.
Drone
The image shared by the SBU shows dozens of small black drones neatly hidden in the wooden cabin inside the warehouse.
Dr. Steve Wright, headquartered in the UK, said the drone used to hit Russian aircraft in the BBC is a simple quadcopter that carries a relatively heavy payload.
He added that the attack was made of “very special”, the ability to smuggle in Russia and then remotely fires and commands. Zelensky said that each 117 drones have their own pilots.
Dr. WRIGHT also suggested that drones could fly using GPS, but they might have remotely controlled the drone to overcome localized Russian Jamming.
KYIV did not share the details of the origin of the drone, but since the beginning of the war, Ukraine has been very efficient in manufacturing, and what is used in this operation is likely to have been produced at home.
target
Zelensky said in a nightly video address, “Russia showed a very practical loss and justified it.”
According to Ukraine, 41 strategic bombers were hit and “at least 13 people were destroyed, and Moscow did not confirm the loss of aircraft except to say that some airplanes were damaged.
The video verified by the BBC shows damaged aircraft in Murmansk’s Olenegorsk Air Base and IRKUTSK Belaya Air Base.
It is believed that the bombers carrying strategic missiles aimed at this attack are TU-95, TU-22 and TU-160. It will be difficult to repair them, and it is impossible to replace it because there is no production yet.
The radar satellite image shared by Capella Space represents more than four Russian long-range bombers in Belaya Air-Base. This matches the Ukrainian drone video to show an attack on the TU-95 bomber.
SBU’s VASYL MALYUK said, “According to the laws and customs of war, we have set absolutely legitimate goals, such as military airfields and aircraft that bomb the peaceful city.”
The TU-95 bomber has begun a large KH-101 missile attack against Ukraine as last week. Each bomber can carry eight guide cruise missiles and each missile itself has a 400kg (882LB) warhead.
The A-50 military spy plane was also aimed. They are a valuable aircraft that improves Russia’s ability to intercept Ukrainian missiles and start their own strike.
It is not known how many A -50 had had in February 2024, but Kyrylo Budanov raised the number at 8 o’clock, which could be a serious blow to Moscow.
In a post on social media, SBU said Spider Web Cost Russia was $ 7 billion (£ 7 billion).
The Russian state -run media stayed quietly about the attack just by citing prime Time Sunday TV shows. Until Monday morning, the story disappeared from the bulletin board.
On the Internet, I went beyond the Ukrainians and congratulated the operation with “Titanic”.
Zelensky said about Telegram, “Of course, not everything can be released, but this is Ukraine’s actions in history books.”
Kumar Malhotra, Tom Spencer, Richard Irvine-Brown, Paul Brown and Benedict Garman
